True tales of the adventures and creations of a mom and her two daughters.

Monthly Archives: November 2014

Some days are harder than others for me and there’s no real logical explanation for it. For example, today is a beautiful day with sunshine and temperatures in the high 50’s, which is an amazing blessing for November in Upstate NY! I do recognize what a wonderful day it is and I’m grateful for it, but my heart was troubled this morning. Maybe it’s the cycle of the moon, maybe it’s some planetary alignment, maybe I’m picking up on a family member or friend’s emotions, maybe my unrequited love stings more than usual, or maybe I’m just missing my father because that overwhelms me at unexpected moments. Whatever the reason or reasons, there’s nothing logical about it, but I’ve never been a very logical being. My feelings and thoughts get all tangled up sometimes and I feel like I’m trapped in a briar patch and that’s exactly when I know I need to walk it off.

I mean literally walk it off. I suit Jazz up in her backpack, snap on her collar and leash, lace up my sneaks and hit the road. That’s what I did today before lunch because I couldn’t stand the confusion anymore. I admit, it’s easier to continue to sit on my butt and mope, but that sure as heck never makes me feel better! So I force my butt up and out and within moments of walking with Jazzmin, I begin to find inner peace again. Somehow the world makes more sense when I’m out in the fresh air, my feet striding over the pavement, Jazz panting beside me, and the universe embracing me.

I kept a brisk pace today but I didn’t walk the entire time. I paused several times to just stand and observe the world around me. The majority of trees that still have their leaves are oak and I listened as the wind stirred the trees’ dried leaves upon their branches, trying to yank them free. But oak trees are stubborn things and they hold onto those leaves as long as they can, sometimes all winter. I can relate to that oak tree stubbornness and their refusal to let go of their leaves even when every other tree has. Why should they do what every other tree does? I’ve never been one to follow the crowd either.

The oak trees hanging onto their leaves.

Pausing to feel the wind upon my face and allow it to caress my hair, helps me feel renewed and less entangled in thorny briars. The warmth of the sun eases the pain in my heart and the unexpected sight of a butterfly in November brings an immediate smile to my face. Life is so much more manageable and understandable when I get out, walk, and let all those lovely endorphins do their job. Any type of exercise helps improve my mood, but the ability to be out in nature always touches me deeper and smooths over the rough spots that trouble my day. Somehow or other I always manage to rally, pick myself back up, and walk it off.

I love how the sun looks like a spot of light in a shadowed vortex in this unedited picture.

But the edited picture shows that it really wasn’t as dark as it seemed. It’s all about banishing the shadows…

I was nearing the end of my energy during my most recent visit to Salem, MA, when I was overcome with a sudden feeling that I needed to get a reading done. That probably doesn’t sound surprising given how many psychics, clairvoyants, mediums, and tarot readers there are in Salem, but I’d felt no such compulsion during my first visit there in 2013.

By the time I felt the “need” to get a reading done, I’d been walking around Salem for hours and had explored many shops, streets, and landmarks. I was walking through one particular store when the urge hit me, but when I looked at the poster of available readers, I didn’t get the right vibe. I went back through a couple other shops I’d visited earlier, but again, I didn’t get the vibe I was looking for. Feeling somewhat defeated, I remember standing in the middle of Essex Street for a bit, trying to figure out what to do. It finally came to me when I remembered something that happened very early in my visit that day.

As I’d wandered the streets early that morning, a woman in a witch costume came up to me and handed me a postcard size flyer aboutCrow Haven Corner, which was right across the street from where I was at the time. I tucked the little flyer in my messenger bag and didn’t think much of it until I found myself standing in Essex Street, needing a reading and feeling lost. That was when I pulled the flyer back out, looked at it, and knew that’s where I was supposed to go. As my last name means “Crow’s beak” it seemed appropriate to go to Crow Haven Corner.

With Crow Haven Corner in my sights, I walked the short distance down Essex Street to the three story, barn-shaped house with black siding and a sign over the door displaying the name. I ascended the steep, narrow steps into the house and found myself in a little shop. The interior of the house was painted dark colors but I didn’t have a problem with that because it matched the persona of the exterior. I made my way to the back of the house and that’s where I discovered all the tarot readers, palm readers, mediums, and clairvoyants were sitting.

Faced with all the readers sitting at their little round tables, I was immediately drawn to one in particular with red hair and I was glad to see she was currently available. I asked the girl at the register if I could purchase a reading. I didn’t specify which reader I wanted but I was quite pleased when she sat me down at the red haired woman’s table. She introduced herself as Christy, I told her my name, and I instantly received the positive vibe I’d been looking for. We started the reading and everything she said to me was spot-on!

I have never received a tarot card reading before, but I had played around with a few different decks in the past. I have books on how to understand tarot cards and I’ve flipped through them reading about the different spreads and what cards mean. Nonetheless, I didn’t really know how to translate what came up, but Christy sure did! She gave me lots of great advice from what the cards were telling her, she picked up on my energy, and knew details about some of my departed loved ones. I tried really hard to commit everything she told me to memory and while I’m sure I’ve forgotten too much, I remember enough to move forward in my life.

Having that tarot reading done was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! I’ve been feeling so lost and unfocused lately and I just wanted a little guidance to get me back on my path. The reading by Christy gave me everything I was looking for. She told me a bit of promising news about my love life, but I won’t be sharing that here. 😉 Some of the key points I remember her telling me and that I will share though were that I’m my own worst critic, I need to focus my energy better, I need to market myself and my gifts more, and that I need to WRITE!

Christy asked if there was a particular writing project I keep putting off and I said yes. She told me I needed to start working on that again and just write it. Don’t go back and edit it, don’t over-think it, don’t get down on myself, just start writing and keep writing until it’s done. She said that book has a story that I needed to share and that it would be published within three years. The book she spoke of was of course, Unbroken Flames, because the story is so close to my heart that I’m afraid to tell it. However, fear has never brought me anything positive so I’m going to shove it aside and bring that book to the forefront instead. To that end, I’ve joined NaNoWriMo in an attempt to encourage myself to finish that dang book! I won’t count anything I’ve already written toward my word count, but that whole concept seems like the perfect way to just write like the wind!

To put some more of the tarot reading insight into action, I’m going to spend the day writing, beading, and working on better ways to market myself. I know I have so many gifts to share with the world and if I can just stay focused, make a plan, and not get distracted, I know I can achieve all my dreams! After all, it’s in the cards…